HUMAN TRAFICKING –PREVAILING LAWS AND PUNISHMENTS
Remittance sent by workers abroad is the major source of foreign exchange in Bangladesh. Millions of Bangladeshis wish to immigrate to countries like EU countries, Malaysia, USA, Middle East every year. Although most of them go to foreign countries through legal channel many workers knowingly or unknowingly chose to travel to Europe or Malaysia without proper Visa by help of International Human traffickers. Bangladesh Government has enacted strict laws against these heinous crime. Many Bangladeshi have been killed or have died trying to immigrate to Europe or Malaysia illegally.
Since, 1960s, Bangladesh met with regular and enormous labor migration to overseas countries and it is now one of the salient remittance gaining countries in Asia. With a few exceptions, manpower export has been showing increasing trend year by year. Most of the expatriates, who are largely unskilled, are working in the Middle East countries and in the UK and the USA and Europe. Like overseas employment, remittances flow has been increasing every year with its increased share in GDP and becomes vital elements for accelerating economic growth in Bangladesh.[1]
In the village area most of the people think that if they can go abroad they can easily change their financial state. And this mind set put them in danger as many of them chose to go to foreign countries through unlawful means.
Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013. Chapter (ii) of this act states about sending workers overseas, migration and other such. Chapter (iii) of this act elaborately discussed about recruitment agents, license and other such. Chapter (vii) of this act discussed about rights of migrant workers. Chapter (viii) discuss about penalty for sending migrants in a wrongful manner, offences, penalty and trail. Again for the protection of our valuable human asset there is also another act named. The OEMA 2013 provided for penalty and jail term against persons or recruiting agencies for flouting the provisions of OEMA 2013. The license of any Recruiting agent may also be cancelled for flouting the provisions of OEMA 2013.
The Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act 2012. This act also gives protection to the migrant people, woman and children. Section 7 and 8 of that provides punishment of 7 years imprisonment and or 5 lac taka fine for committing the offence of organizing Human trafficking or conspiring , instigating or attempting to commit human trafficking.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316510793_Overseas_Employment_and_Remittance_Exploring_the_Nexus_in_the_Context_of_Bangladesh
Taymur Reza Ratul, LLM
Lawyer in Bangladesh
Dhaka, Bangladesh
S Hossain and Associates
